Psychology Facts

▲ ISTJ - The Inspector ▲

ISTJ (introversion, sensing, thinking, judgment) is a four-letter code representing one of the 16 personality types found on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

People with an ISTJ personality type tend to be reserved, practical and quiet. They enjoy order and organization in all areas of their lives, including home, work, family, and projects.

ISTJs value loyalty in themselves and others and emphasize traditions. While they have a reputation for being blunt, they are also known for being nice, loyal, and responsible.

The ISTJ personality type is not rare. It is one of the most common, accounting for around 11 to 14% of the population. It is more common among men, with 14 to 19% of men having this type compared to seven to 10% of women.

Key ISTJ Characteristics:

Some of the main ISTJ traits and characteristics include:

Calm
Concerned with rules
Decisive
Honest
Independent
Insensitive
Level-headed
Stubborn
Straight-forward
Reserved
Responsible

Strengths:

ISTJs are planners: They like to carefully plan things out well in advance. They enjoy an orderly life. They like things to be well-organized and pay great attention to detail. When things are in disarray, people with this personality type may find themselves unable to rest until they have set everything straight and the work has been completed.

ISTJs are both responsible and realistic: They take a logical approach to achieving their goals and completing projects and can work steadily toward accomplishing these tasks. They can ignore distractions to focus on the task at hand and are often described as dependable and trustworthy.

ISTJs also place a great deal of emphasis on traditions and laws: They prefer to follow rules and procedures that have previously been established. In some cases, ISTJs can seem rigid and unyielding in their desire to maintain structure.

Weaknesses:

ISTJs can be stubborn: Their love of order and rules means they can sometimes be stubborn and stuck in their ways. It also means that they resist trying new things or looking for alternative solutions to problems.

ISTJs can seem insensitive: While ISTJs are loyal and protective, their tendency to be direct and honest sometimes leads to hurt feelings. Others may feel that they are insensitive or even cold.

ISTJ tend to blame themselves: Because they are responsible and hardworking, they also tend to take on unwarranted self-blame when things go wrong.

Cognitive Functions:

Dominant: Introverted Sensing -

Introverted sensors are focused on the present moment, taking in an abundance of information about their surroundings.

They also have vivid memories of the past and rely on the memories of these experiences to form expectations for the future.

Auxiliary: Extraverted Thinking -

ISTJs are logical and efficient. They enjoy looking for rational explanations for events.

They prefer to focus on the details rather than thinking about abstract information.

Being efficient and productive is important for people with this personality type. They appreciate knowledge that has immediate, practical applications.

ISTJs make decisions based on logic and objective data rather than personal feelings.

Tertiary: Introverted Feeling -

As they make judgments, ISTJs often make personal interpretations based on their internal set of values.

This is often described as an "instinct" or "gut feeling" about a situation.

ISTJ might make a decision based on logic, only to have this feeling kick in telling them to trust their feelings rather than just the facts.

Inferior: Extraverted Intuition -

This aspect of personality enjoys new ideas and experiences.

This is the weakest part of the ISTJs personality, but developing this function can sometimes lead to a more balanced personality.

Popular ISTJ Careers:

Accountant

Computer Programmer

Dentist

Doctor

Librarian

Lawyer

Police Officer or Detective

Military Leader

ISTJs You Might Know:

Queen Elizabeth II

Julia Roberts

Sigmund Freud

George Washington

George H. W. Bush

Harry Truman

Henry Ford

Jeff Bezos

Pope Benedict XVI